Photo and story by Sabrina Tyson / Contributing Writer
On Thursday night, Cause for Conversation, held a stress-based question and answer session with a panel of experts. The panelists were Vinny Black, a health educator who works with Middle Tennessee State University students as a health coach, Eric Clark, who is a part of the MTSU Student Health staff, and Carolyn Jackson, who works with students at MTSU Counseling Services.
Cause for Conversation is an organization that focuses mainly on suicide prevention, as well as reducing stigma with mental health. The organization put on the event as a part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
“This is the first event of its kind, but we hope to continue to have a Mental Health Awareness Week once a year,” said Sarah Pope, the president of Cause for Conversation.
The panelists gave tips on topics such as stress management, time management, eating healthy on campus and the importance of exercise in overall health.
“If it wasn’t for (exercise), I wouldn’t be able to maintain the schedule and lifestyle that I have,” Black said.
The main tips the panelists shared were to never be afraid to get help and do so early on, take things one step at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine and to try to get eight hours of sleep a night. Johnson said people should try and do one thing a day to take care of themselves, even with busy schedules.
“I think a lot of my students are spread thin, and they don’t have much of a choice,” Johnson said. “I’m looking for any narrow window of time for them to do some self care.”
Undeniably, for many of the students, stress has, unfortunately, become part of their daily studies. However, the panelists were keen to help students relieve some of these feelings. One of the panelists recommended that the students should consider purchasing some products from cbd oil canada companies. Some of these oils have been known to reduce stress and anxiety, allowing students to feel relaxed and proceed with their studies comfortably.
In case you were not aware, there is a lot of research out there that suggests that products containing cannabis extracts can help people to manage their mental health. Products infused with cannabis are believed to have a relaxing impact on the body and this can be particularly soothing for people who live stressful lifestyles. Moreover, in recent years, the ways in which people can use cannabis have significantly increased.
For example, some people prefer to use a dab rig to get their cannabis fix. Essentially, a dab rig is a pipe designed for vaporizing cannabis concentrates. You can learn more about dab rigs here: https://www.kings-pipe.com/collections/oil-dab-rigs. Ultimately, where natural remedies and alternative medicines are concerned, it is important to do as much research as possible to ensure that you are making the right choices for your individual needs.
For MTSU students in need, there are many resources offered by MTSU, such as counseling and health coaching. Resources such as this are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at MTSU Counseling Services.
To contact News Editor Andrew Wigdor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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—reducing stigma with mental health
Or, educate those who say there is one. Educate them rather than they you.
Which do y o u want to do?
Harold A. Maio, retired mental health editor